There You'll Be (AOS Edition)
by Lily1986
Summary: All Grant Ward ever wanted was to be someone's hero. And if dying is what it took for that to happen... Well, he'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. (Warning: major character death)


**A.N:** I know everyone is feeling hurt and betrayed and annoyed with the writers but I also think it's really cathartic to write about it. Which is why I am loving all the fic popping up. Personally, I think the midseason finale stunk worse than dog turd so I re-wrote it. This is Grant Ward's death scene how I think it should have gone down. This is not a traditional "fix it" fic. I do keep a lot of the themes they wanted to have in the episodes but I also write it in a way that I think makes sense. I hope you like it. And I hope it helps you guys to mourn the character we all grew to love the way it helped me. Thanks for reading!

* * *

 _Your love made me_

 _Make it through_

 _Oh, I owe so much to you_

 _You were right there for me_

The group of soldiers pushed their two hostages further into what Will had deemed "the no fly zone". Fitz continued looking at the man by his side as they walked ahead of the soldiers with guns pointed at them. He would look over his shoulder every once in a while to see Ward was still there but grateful he was giving them their space. It seemed out of character for the man he once called a friend, but he was grateful nonetheless.

"What's with you two?" Will spoke up suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Fitz snapped his head toward the other man. "I don't know what you mean…"

"He's watching over you, ready to jump in if I try something and you keep looking back to make sure he's there. Is he your bodyguard on this mission?"

"That's a laugh…" Fitz mumbled. "He's Hydra…"

"He's the only one who doesn't have his weapon drawn on us."

"Maybe he's just feeling sentimental," Fitz grumbled. At Will's look of confusion, he sighed and continued. "We used to be friends… a long time ago. And then he betrayed us all for them."

"I bet it's a lot more complicated than that," Will laughed.

Fitz shrugged as the dust picked up around them. Ward stepped closer, eyeing Will warily. "We have to move… it's getting worse." He told them.

"We should stop and wait it out," Will said. "These dust storms… they do things to people."

"We don't have the luxury. We still have to find it," Ward told him. "And get to the portal."

"It will find you," Will muttered before whispering. "It always does…"

"Move it," Ward growled pushing him further ahead.

"Hey! Take it easy, Ward!" Fitz tried pushing the taller man back. "We're moving as fast as we can."

Ward glanced between the two of them and nodded as they started walking again.

They'd been walking for a few minutes through the storm when Will stopped cold.

"Will?" Fitz tried.

The other man turned toward him slowly. Fitz gasped when he saw the life that had been in the man's eyes had somehow drained out. It was like Will wasn't even looking at him but instead right through him. The fist landed on his jaw before Fitz could react. Within moments, Will had him pinned to the ground with his hands around his throat. Fitz tried clawing at his hands to stop him from continuing to squeeze.

He could have sworn he heard his name being called in the distance. He gasped, trying to take a deep breath once Will was pushed off him. He rolled over to see Ward and Will a few feet ahead. Ward had Will pinned to the ground and was landing blow after blow until Will was able to get the upper hand and pinned Ward beneath him. Fitz watched as he was choking the life out of the other man with the same inhuman strength he'd felt moments before. It took Fitz about a second to react. He felt someone pulling him up by the arm roughly and turned to find one of Hydra's foot soldiers standing next to him, watching but not helping.

Fitz recalled telling Ward how expendable he was earlier and this just proved that. They were willing to let him die instead of trying to help. Fitz quickly got a hold of himself, pulling the gun out of the holster next to him. He stepped closer to the fighting pair and fired four consecutive shots, landing on his target perfectly. He watched and waited as the now dead body was thrown to the side like a ragdoll and one of them slowly stood.

Ward eyed Fitz with confusion. He stepped closer to the younger man and looked down at the gun still in his hand. "Fitz?"

The young scientist looked up at him.

"Give me the gun, Fitz."

He glanced down at the gun still in his hand and eventually passed it to Ward.

"You saved me."

"I did the right thing," Fitz responded. "Something you wouldn't understand."

"Still, thank you." Ward said looking down at the gun. "Who taught you how to shoot like that?"

"Daisy…" Fitz mumbled.

"Is that a new team member?"

And then it hit him. Ward had been gone so long that he didn't know of any changes the team had faced. He didn't know that Simmons had been missing for six months or how Trip had died. He didn't know that Skye had recently changed her name or that she was even seeing someone new. Or that she'd lost both her parents almost as quickly as she'd found them. Or that Coulson had lost his hand. Or that May had taken a leave of absence. He didn't know anything at all about them anymore. A part of Fitz liked that. But the other part of him that still missed the camaraderie with the man standing before him, wanted to bring him up to date.

"Skye…" Fitz answered his loaded question briefly. "She changed her name recently. Daisy is her birth name."

Ward nodded. "It's… its pretty. I'm glad she found what she was looking for."

"Did you?"

Ward gave him a look of confusion.

"Did you find what you were looking for when you betrayed us all to Hydra?"

Ward shook his head. "People like me don't find closure, Fitz. I realize that now."

One of his nameless foot soldiers stepped closer to them, reminding them that they needed to find the inhuman and get to the portal. Ward looked up at him. Fitz saw a split second decision made and watched in horror as Ward shot and killed the soldiers Malick had sent through the portal with them.

"What the hell?" Fitz cried out.

"The thing Malick wants us to find is too dangerous. This whole plan was dangerous. We need to make it to that portal."

"You just killed them!"

"It was them or you, Fitz. They would have killed me to feed you to that thing, whatever it is… I made a call. Now, let's go. Is the portal still this way?"

Fitz nodded.

"Then let's go," Ward started walking, looking at his watch. "We don't have very long."

Fitz followed the taller man ahead of him in silence.

* * *

It felt like hours had passed but Fitz knew it had only been a few minutes. Based on the calculations Simmons had given them, they were close to the area where the portal would be opening. Fitz stopped, making Ward bump into him.

"What is it?"

"We're here."

Ward looked around and then down at his watch. "Did we miss it?"

Fitz shook his head. "We're early."

Ward gave him a nod before sitting on the ground. "Then we wait."

Fitz followed his lead and sat down next to him, holding the tablet in his hand. He stared at it in silence for a few long seconds before finally speaking up. "What happens when we get back?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Malick is expecting you to deliver the inhuman monster thing to him," Fitz shrugged. "What's going to happen when he sees it's just me and you and everyone else is dead?"

"I'll handle Malick."

"What are you going to do?"

"Fitz…."

"Because if I'm walking to my death, I'd like to know ahead of time… and if Simmons is going to get killed over this, I want to know so I can ask you to keep her safe…"

"Fitz…"

"Because I can't but you can… And I guess… I kind of sort of trust you to do that after what just happened back there… and God I never thought I would say that…."

"Damn it, Fitz… As soon as we get back to the other side, I'm putting a bullet in Malick's head. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Fitz gaped at him. "But what about all the other Hydra soldiers?"

"I'll take care of it."

"Ward…"

"What do you care if I live or die anyway?" Ward muttered.

"I just saved your ass back there and you're seriously asking me that? Typical…"

Ward glared at him before he burst out laughing.

"Why are you laughing now?"

"This just took me back," Ward said picking up sand in hand and letting it slip through his fingers. "Remember the world's most dangerous sandwich?"

Fitz blinked at him in confusion before it dawned on him. Of course, he remembered. He often thought back on that mission wondering what was real and what was just an act that he'd put on to keep his cover.

"It was a good day to be a rat," Fitz mumbled with a sad smile.

Ward looked at him sadly. "For what it's worth… I am sorry… for everything."

"Why does your apology sound like a goodbye?" Fitz chuckled, quieting down at Ward's solemn expression. "Because it is a goodbye…."

Ward looked down in shame. "Just in case I don't get a chance to say it later."

"Ward…"

"Drop it, Fitz." Ward said standing. "I'm gonna go scout the ridge. Don't move from here."

Fitz held up his hands in surrender. "Where would I go?"

Ward shrugged before walking away.

"Don't get lost!" Fitz called out to him, smirking when he waved over his head without turning around.

Fitz lay back in the sand, placing his arms comfortably under his head. He couldn't imagine Simmons living in this desolate land for six months. He'd only been here a few hours and he already missed the sun.

A shadow loomed over him and he looked up at the person standing over him. "That was fast… did you happen to find a sandwich shop nearby… I'm bloody starving."

The figure looming over him did not speak.

"Ward?"

It crouched down, pulling him up on his feet by the lapels of his shirt. Fitz's eyes widened when he realized Will was back.

"But… I killed you… You were dead…" Fitz stumbled over his words.

It smirked slowly.

"Fitz!"

He tried turning his head toward Ward who was running at them with his gun drawn. Will quickly spun him around and placed a blade against his throat.

"Damn it!" Ward stood in front of them with his gun drawn on Will.

"Shoot him, Ward!"

It gave Ward a slimy but knowing smile. Ward blanched when he noticed the thing crawling underneath the skin on its forehead.

"This host didn't know much about you… but it knew a lot about him. If you miss, you won't be able to forgive yourself."

"He won't miss," Fitz growled. "Ward! Shoot him!"

"Shut up, Fitz." Ward said, clicking the safety off his gun.

Fitz eyed him with a knowing look. The two of them communicated silently with practice they'd perfected so long ago. With a slight nod, Fitz elbowed his captor, dropping quickly to the ground as Ward fired off shot after shot into its chest. The portal started to open behind him.

"Ward, we have to go!" Fitz called out but Ward ignored him, watching the body in front of him slowly stand before him again. They both watched with confusion as it snapped its neck and charged at Ward, knocking the gun out of his hand.

"Ward!" Fitz started stalking toward them when a strong hand grabbed the back of his shirt. He looked back to find Coulson shaking his head. He hadn't even noticed the older man arrive. He had so many questions but no time to ask any of them in that moment. He turned to see Ward struggling in his fight with Will. "We have to help him!"

"No, Fitz," Coulson started walking toward the portal. "We have to go now. The portal will close."

"What?! No! Coulson! He saved my life! We can't leave him!" Fitz struggled against the robotic grip Coulson had on him. "Ward! Leave him! Hurry up! We have to go now!"

Ward turned to see Coulson dragging Fitz toward the portal but before he could move, Will plunged the blade he had into his back.

"No!" Fitz screamed.

The anguished sound in his voice made Coulson cringe but he didn't stop. There was no time to stop.

Ward watched as Fitz and Coulson walked further away and Will wrapped an arm around him, digging the blade deeper.

The last thing Fitz saw before being pushed through the portal was Ward's unmoving body being tossed aside by Will.

* * *

The first thing he saw when he stepped through the portal was Daisy almost passed out in Mack's arms, their weapons at their sides. Mack looked up at the two people who'd come through the portal with a swift nod. He picked up Daisy in his arms and silently led them to their escape pod. Fitz barely heard when Mack instructed May to blow up the castle with the portal.

"What?" he called out. "No! Wait!"

But he was too late and watched the building crumbling below them as they zoomed through the sky toward the Zephyr One. Mack looked at him with confusion and glanced at Coulson who was more stoic than he'd ever seen.

Daisy started to sit up on the bed they'd placed her on, glancing around her at the three men currently standing in the pod with her.

"Fitz…" she said with a soft smile, standing up. She pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank God…"

He hugged her back numbly.

She turned toward Coulson with confusion. "What happened down there?"

Fitz didn't speak and Coulson shook his head.

Daisy frowned. They'd have to tell her eventually. She would have to wait until he was ready because he didn't expect Coulson to be completely honest about what had taken place moments before they went through the portal.

When the pod landed on the Zephyr One, the four of them filed out and greeted the rest of their team. Fitz watched as Simmons glanced into the pod, seemingly looking for Will. When she saw he wasn't in there, she turned around to find Fitz standing there with a soft look of sadness. With tears streaming down her face, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He'd been so worried about her but he should have known she would be fine. She was always fine.

Fitz looked at Coulson over Simmons' shoulder and glared at the older man. He may want to keep what happened quiet but a silent rage burned inside of Fitz. And he was afraid of it. Because he knew that if he let it that rage that burned so brightly could easily burn them all.

* * *

He was standing in his lab staring at the cardboard box with very few items. Fewer items than he could have imagined. It made him sad. He picked up the worn paperback and frowned.

"Matterhorn?"

He looked over his shoulder to find Simmons standing behind him before turning back to the book in his hand.

"Yours?" she asked.

He shook his head, putting it back in the box and picked up a grey Henley before dropping it into the box. He found a leather holder and gasped when he opened it to find the badge and ID card still inside.

"Is that…?"

He nodded at her unfinished question.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm packing up his things…" Fitz sighed. "Most of it was packed up already. But I'm taking it to his brother."

"His brother probably doesn't want it, Fitz." She frowned.

"Doesn't matter," Fitz shrugged. "His brother deserves to know…"

"Know what?"

"What happened…"

"And what did happen?" Simmons asked. "You and Coulson haven't spoken about it at all. It's been a couple days already."

And that's when he told her the truth about what had happened. He explained how they'd found Will before he lost his mind and attacked them. He told her about how Ward saved him, once… twice… three times… He ended the story with the truth about how they left him behind to die.

Simmons had sat down about halfway through the recollection. "Fitz, I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault, Jemma," Fitz mumbled. "It's his."

"Ward's?"

"Coulson."

"Fitz…"

"We could have saved him," Fitz spun around on her. "We had time. But he didn't want to. He might as well have killed Ward himself."

"I am sorry about what you witnessed, Fitz." Simmons frowned. "But I am not sorry that Coulson brought you home."

With that, she turned and left the lab, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the mementos he'd found.

* * *

It hadn't taken very long to track down the youngest Ward son. Thomas Ward was under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection and Fitz had picked up a few tricks in how to hack S.H.I.E.L.D. lately. He didn't tell anyone where he was going, asking for a short leave of absence instead.

The team believed it was because of the trauma he'd experienced but he knew that Coulson knew the real reason. He almost dared the Director to not approve it.

Fitz waited for the door to open. When it did, he immediately knew that Thomas Ward was standing before him.

"Thomas Ward?"

"Do I know you?"

Fitz shook his head. "My name is Leo Fitz and I'm an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." He quickly added. "I knew your brother…"

The look in the man's eyes turned to panic.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Fitz told him, showing off the box in his arms. "I came to bring you this."

"What is it?"

"It belonged to your brother," Fitz shrugged. "It's some of his things that we still had…"

"I don't want it," Thomas told him. "Why don't you just give it to him? Or did Coulson never find him?"

Fitz looked at him as if he'd been slapped. "We found him… But… You should know… what you were told about your brother was true… but it wasn't the whole truth."

Thomas eyed him warily. "Do you… want to come in?"

Fitz nodded with a small smile, following him inside. He placed the box on a dining table and opened it for Thomas. "It's not much… but I think you should have it…"

Thomas nodded slowly, opening the box and pulling out the paperback. "Was this his favorite book or something? Grant wasn't much of a reader growing up…"

"I don't think so," Fitz frowned. "I actually think it was a form of conditioning by Garrett…"

"Who is Garrett?"

"You don't know?" Fitz asked.

"Mr. Fitz? I haven't seen my brother in over fifteen years. The other night was the first time I had even heard his voice in that long."

"I'm sorry," Fitz told him. "There's so much you need to know… about your brother… about what happened to him. And to be honest, I don't think I'm the person that could tell you because I barely know the full story. The person who knows most probably won't care to and the person who can tell you more than me doesn't even know you're alive. They don't even know that he's…"

"That he's what?" Thomas asked.

"Um… damn it… I don't know how to tell you this other than to just come out and say it," Fitz mumbled. "Your brother is gone…"

"What do you mean gone?"

"Thomas, you need to know that your brother saved my life… a lot… he died a hero even if S.H.I.E.L.D. won't acknowledge him as one."

Thomas sat down and looked up at the young scientist.

"He's…. he's dead?"

Fitz nodded slowly. "He died saving me."

Thomas nodded. "I'm glad he was able to protect at least one of his brothers." He pulled a couple more books from the box and a few shirts that still had a scent on them he assumed was his brother's. He lifted the leather holder and opened it to find his brother's photo ID and what he knew to be his S.H.I.E.L.D. badge. "He betrayed his organization, didn't he?"

"He did," Fitz nodded.

"And yet you still have this somehow," Thomas mumbled.

"I think someone saved it because she couldn't let it go," Fitz admitted.

"Did she love my brother?"

"I think so," Fitz answered. "I'm not sure what actually happened between them though… She doesn't like talking about it."

"Did he love her?"

Fitz nodded. "Definitely…"

Thomas handed him the S.H.I.E.L.D. badge. "I didn't know Grant Ward, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. but you did… I think he'd want you to have this."

Fitz took it from him silently. He felt a lump in his throat when he nodded, "thank you."

"If you want to come by," Thomas started. "To tell me more about my brother… I'd like to know the man you knew."

Fitz nodded. "I'd like that."

"Do you have a picture of her?"

"Who?"

"The woman my brother loved?"

Fitz nodded, pulling out his cell phone. He skipped through a few photos going back to the beginning and found one of them from their earlier days on The Bus where Ward was looking at her and she was seemingly oblivious of his adoring stare.

"He looks really happy here," Thomas commented before handing Fitz back his phone.

"I like to think that he was once," Fitz shrugged.

"Thank you, Mr. Fitz," Thomas smiled.

"I'm just trying to do the right thing."

* * *

Fitz stepped out of the house and walked toward the black SUV. He sat in the driver seat and stared at the badge and photo ID in his hand. He smiled softly before closing it and putting it on the passenger seat next to him. Fitz put the SUV in gear and backed out of the driveway before driving down the road and away from the residence.

* * *

It watched the SUV drive away with a knowing smirk on its deathly pale face. The Host whose body it had inhabited was very fond of the young Agent that it was currently stalking. It could hear its Host screaming in agony inside of its head.

"Don't worry, Grant," it said with a menacing tone. "I won't hurt them… Yet."

 _In my dreams_

 _I'll always see you soar_

 _Above the sky_

 _In my heart_

 _There will always be a place_

 _For you for all my life_

 _I'll keep a part_

 _Of you with me_

 _And everywhere I am_

 _There you'll be_


End file.
